Values as lived experience

TLDR

Value Sensitive Design offers a comprehensive framework for value‑centered research and design, yet its mechanics generate tensions that challenge value sensitivity. The study investigates limitations of VSD arising from value classifications, lack of empirical guidance, and the ordering of the design process. The authors propose enhancements to VSD and demonstrate them through three empirical case studies that engage local expressions of values. The case studies show that the refined VSD mitigates classification pitfalls and promotes ongoing reflection and responsiveness to local design contexts.

Abstract

The Value Sensitive Design (VSD) methodology provides a comprehensive framework for advancing a value-centered research and design agenda. Although VSD provides helpful ways of thinking about and designing value-centered computational systems, we argue that the specific mechanics of VSD create thorny tensions with respect to value sensitivity. In particular, we examine limitations due to value classifications, inadequate guidance on empirical tools for design, and the ways in which the design process is ordered. In this paper, we propose ways of maturing the VSD methodology to overcome these limitations and present three empirical case studies that illustrate a family of methods to effectively engage local expressions of values. The findings from our case studies provide evidence of how we can mature the VSD methodology to mitigate the pitfalls of classification and engender a commitment to reflect on and respond to local contexts of design.